For years, AMD has dominated the integrated graphics battlefield, leveraging its Radeon-powered Ryzen processors to outperform Intel’s offerings in gaming and content creation. But the latest round of testing suggests Intel is catching up—and fast. After evaluating over a dozen laptops equipped with AMD’s new Radeon 890M iGPU, independent benchmarks reveal that Team Red’s once-comfortable lead is shrinking, signaling a seismic shift in the budget and ultraportable laptop market.
The Integrated GPU Wars: A Brief Backstory
Integrated graphics have long been the unsung heroes of lightweight laptops, enabling casual gaming and multimedia tasks without the bulk of a dedicated GPU. AMD’s Ryzen processors, with Radeon Vega and later RDNA-based iGPUs, have consistently outpaced Intel’s Iris Xe and Arc graphics in raw performance. This advantage made Ryzen-powered devices a favorite among cost-conscious gamers and creators. But Intel’s recent architectural overhauls, including its aggressive push into Arc graphics and driver optimizations, are turning the tide.
Testing the Waters: How AMD’s 890M Stacks Up
According to a comprehensive analysis by NotebookCheck, which tested 15 laptops featuring AMD’s Ryzen 8040-series processors with the Radeon 890M, Intel’s latest Core Ultra “Meteor Lake” chips are now nipping at AMD’s heels. While the 890M still holds a 10-15% edge in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring at 1080p low settings, the gap narrows to single digits in lighter games such as CS:GO and Rocket League. Even more striking? Intel’s Arc iGPUs now outperform AMD in ray-traced workloads, thanks to dedicated Xe cores and AI-driven upscaling.
“Intel’s software improvements have been a game-changer,” says Laura Chen, a hardware analyst at TechSphere. “Six months ago, AMD’s drivers were vastly more stable. Now, Intel’s monthly updates are closing feature gaps and boosting frame rates.”
The Fine Print: Efficiency and Thermal Throttling
Raw performance isn’t the whole story. AMD’s Radeon 890M still shines in power efficiency, drawing less wattage under load compared to Intel’s Arc. This gives Ryzen laptops a battery life advantage in productivity tasks—a critical factor for students and professionals. However, thermal throttling remains a pain point for both brands. Slim designs often force CPUs and GPUs to share heat pipes, leading to performance dips during extended gaming sessions.
Market Implications: What This Means for Buyers
The narrowing gap has already impacted consumer choices. Budget gamers who once defaulted to AMD are now weighing Intel’s superior encoder support for streaming and AV1 video playback. Meanwhile, AMD loyalists argue that the 890M’s mature driver ecosystem and broader game compatibility retain an edge.
“It’s a win-win for consumers,” says Mark Torres, a system integrator. “Competition is driving innovation. Two years ago, 30 fps in Fortnite was a dream for integrated graphics. Now, both brands are pushing 60 fps.”
The Road Ahead
AMD isn’t standing still. Rumors suggest its next-gen “Strix Point” APUs, expected in late 2024, will double AI accelerators and adopt RDNA 3.5 architecture. Intel, meanwhile, is betting big on its upcoming Lunar Lake chips, which promise further Arc refinements.
For now, the integrated graphics crown remains up for grabs—a stark contrast to AMD’s unchallenged reign just a year ago. As both companies sprint toward the AI PC era, one thing is clear: the underdog days of Intel graphics are over.
Cover image source: NotebookCheck